The Raving Man
by Northern-Southern Belle
Summary: Ruby and Victor's Halloween date is interrupted by the appearance of a skittish, paranoid man who says he's a patient of Victor's who has murdered his landlord and needs help concealing the body so that he no longer hears man's beating heart. They get him a room at the inn so they can keep an eye on him, but when he nearly murders Geppetto, it just leads to more trouble. One-shot.


Disclaimer: Only plot and original characters belong to me.

"You want to help me with this, Ruby?" Granny asked as she attempted to heft a heavy box of Halloween decorations onto the counter so she could take them out and put them up. Ruby started toward her grandmother, but before she could reach her, Victor had his hands on the box. "Oh, don't be ridiculous," he said. "I'll help."

"No, thank you," Granny replied, looking at him suspiciously. "You're the last person I would accept help from. You're lucky I even let you in here."

"And thank you for that," Victor smiled. "I appreciate it."

Granny just rolled her eyes and began emptying the box. That was when Ruby noticed Victor's coffee was nearly gone. "Want a refill?" She asked.

"Well, thank you," Victor replied. "Although I don't really need it. Things have been kind of quiet lately. Usual colds for this time of year, but nothing too bad."

"Let's hope it stays that way," Ruby replied. "It would just be really unfortunate if some big catastrophe happened and it ruined the holidy."

"Well, knock wood," Granny replied. "But I wouldn't count on it if I were you. Something is _always_ happening in Storybrooke."

And of course, she was right. A few days later, Granny left the diner and the inn in Ruby's hands while she went to spend the night with Geppetto, and as soon as she was gone, Victor called. "I understand you're gonna be alone tonight," he said. "Want me to come over and keep you company? I'd be more than happy to offer my protection."

Ruby paused. "Thanks, but with all the weapons Granny has stocked up, I think I'll be all right." But then she said, "but if you just wanna come over, that's all right."

"All right," Victor replied. "I'll be over soon."

* * *

He arrived as the moon was coming up, and after he was inside the inn, Ruby locked the door behind him. "So..." he said, taking her in his arms. "What did you have in mind on this rare night we have to ourselves?"

"Well," Ruby grinned. "I was thinking that maybe we could have a quiet dinner, and then maybe...go to bed?"

Victor grinned. "Sounds good to me."

They ate, and then she led him up to bed, where she ripped off his clothes, and began nipping his neck. "It's been awhile since you've been in to see me," he whispered. "I wonder if you need a really thorough examination?"

"Oh, of course I do," Ruby replied, and soon, she was as naked as he was. And as he was pushing into her, her nails were raking down his back, and she screamed in a way that she never would have allowed herself if Granny had been home. They were making so much noise that they almost didn't hear the sound of glass being broken downstairs.

"Did you hear that?" Ruby asked, pausing.

"Hear what?" Victor asked, nibbling on her fingers.

"Glass breaking downstairs," Ruby replied, nudging him off her. "Get dressed and meet me downstairs. We'll get whoever is trying to rob us."

"I'll be there in a minute," Victor replied.

"Well, damn," Victor said when he came downstairs and saw the mess. "What happened here?" He went and put an arm around Ruby, who was bleeding, dirty, and coughing. "I saw the thief," she said. "He wanted a shovel."

"Well, where is he now?" Victor asked as he looked her over. Thankfully, all her wounds seemed to be superficial and not serious.

"He's...this is gonna sound crazy, but...he's behind the diner, burying a body," Ruby replied. "He...he said he had to do that until he talked to you. It seems like you know each other."

"Let me go and speak to him, then," Victor replied.

After being helped up, Ruby led him to the man, who was sitting next to a pile of disturbed earth, shaking and looking frightened. "Edgar?" Victor asked after getting a good look at the dirty, gaunt, wide-eyed man. "Edgar, what are you doing here?"

"Doctor!" The man said, jumping up to embrace Victor. "I'm so glad I was able to find you! I've done...I've done something terrible, and you're the only one who can help me!"

"I'll do what I can," Victor promised. "But what have you done?"

"My...my father in law," Edgar got out, his eyes widening. "I finally...I finally killed him. It was an accident. I didn't mean to! Bring him back, Doctor! Please! I know you do such things!"

"I can't anymore!" Victor replied. "Every time I've tried to bring someone back, it never ended well."

"Well, then, what shall I do?" Edgar asked, clutching Victor's coat. "What will happen to me if it's found out I'm a murderer?" He then paused, closed his eyes tight, and clutched his head, rocking back and forth. "Make it stop! Make it stop!"

"What?" Ruby asked.

"The heart!" The man cried. "Even though he's dead, his heart still beats! I can hear it! Loud and clear as day!"

"Why don't we get you inside?" Ruby asked, realizing that his yelling was gonna wake someone up if he stayed out any longer. "You've obviously been through a lot, Mr. Edgar. A good meal and a night's rest will hopefully make you feel better."

Edgar then look at Victor as if to ask if Ruby could be trusted, and after assurance from the doctor, Edgar let Ruby and Victor bring him inside. She made him a quick meal and put him to bed. "Who _is_ that man?" She asked.

"Edgar?" Victor sighed. "He's always been troubled. He fell in love with a woman named Lenore awhile back, but because he was poor and not quite right in the head, her father refused the match. He's hated the old man ever since. The fact that he was Edgar's landlord making it all the worse."

"So he and Lenore, they aren't actually married?" Ruby confirmed.

"No," Victor shook his head. "But as you heard, Edgar thinks they are, and won't accept anyone who tells him differently."

"So what should we do with him?" Ruby asked. "Sending him home won't be easy. I'll see what I can do about getting him a room. That way we can keep an eye on him, and hopefully no one else will find out about him. This should stay just between us."

"I agree," Victor replied. "Well, I might send him to Doctor Hopper and see if he can do anything for him. Despite all the troubled people in my land, we lack a competent psychiatrist. Or even an _incompetent_ one. I did the best I could in both capacities, but Edgar needs better."

Ruby smiled. "And with doctor-patient confidentiality, Archie won't be able to say a thing. Genius!"

Victor winked. "Well, remember," he replied, "I _am_ a doctor. As for the body...I don't think I have any patients to see tomorrow. We'll deal with it in the morning."

"I don't know if I'll be able to sleep after all this excitement," Ruby confessed. "Will you?"

"I don't think so," Victor replied, running his fingers through Ruby's dark hair. "But we can always continue what we were doing before we were interrupted."

Ruby grinned. "Good idea. I like the way you think!"

* * *

The next morning, Ruby agreed to keep an eye on Edgar while Victor went to talk to Archie.

"Who's your friend?" Granny asked her as Edgar stared.

"He's actually a friend of Victor's," Ruby replied. "He came to visit last night. He's having some trouble, and Victor wants him to see Archie."

"Who's that?" Edgar asked, his eye twitching. "Is he a policeman? Will he have me locked up?" He clutched his head again, muttering about the beating heart.

"Get him out of here," Granny told Ruby. "He's scaring the customers!"

"I'll have to go with him," Ruby replied. "He doesn't do well with strangers." She sat with Edgar outside the diner until Victor arrived, and the two of them escorted him to Archie's office.

"Here's the patient I was telling you about, Doctor Hopper," Victor told Archie. "Be gentle with him. He's a bit skittish."

"Oh, that shouldn't be a problem," Archie replied and gestured for Edgar to sit on the couch, which he would _not_ do until Ruby told him it was okay. When it seemed like Edgar would be all right, Victor and Ruby left him in Archie's capable hands.

"I hope he's gonna be all right," Ruby said. "Did you hear him scream when you shut the door?"

"Well, we don't have many options," Victor replied. "I'm sure he'll be all right."

"Now what?" Ruby asked, tucking her arm in Victor's. "Are we gonna dig up the body?"

"We should," Victor replied. "Granted, it would be more ideal to wait until tonight, when there's less of a chance we'll be discovered, but bodies are only in good condition for so long and who knows how long Edgar had it before he buried it?"

"Do you need my help?" Ruby asked. "I'll go back to the diner and get the shovel. Or do you just want me to keep Granny occupied while you do the digging?"

"I'll need the help, of course!" Victor replied. "It's very hard to dig up a body by yourself. And there's no use trying to hide anything from your grandmother. She'll probably find out anyway."

Ruby nodded. "Good point." So they headed back to the diner and Ruby grabbed the shovel.

"What do you want with that shovel?" Granny asked. "You still have work to do!"

"I'm on a break!" Ruby replied. "I have to help Victor dig up a body!"

"And just what is _that_ supposed to mean?" Granny pressed, her eyes narrowed.

"That man who was here this morning, you know, the one who made everyone nervous? He killed someone and the grave is here around the diner. We need to dig it up so Victor can do an autopsy," Ruby replied. "So can I be excused?"

Granny scoffed at Victor. "You and your friends," she said. "It's a wonder what Ruby sees in you with the sort of company you keep."

Without responding to that, Ruby and Victor got the shovel and went outside to dig up the body, taking it out of the shallow grave and putting it (still wrapped in the shroud) in the back of Ruby's car. Luckily, they got to the hospital without incident, and as Victor prepared the decaying body for autopsy, he said to Ruby, "I know your sense of smell is particularly acute, so you don't have to be in here to see this if you don't want to. Decaying bodies are particularly pungent, and don't think I didn't notice the look on your face when we pulled it out of the ground."

"No, that's okay, I want to see this," Ruby replied, and unsuccessfully tried to suppress her gag reflex. It hadn't been as bad when the corpse had been wrapped up, but now that it was out in the open...

Victor then pointed to a door on the side of the autopsy room. "That door leads to an observation room," he said. "You can go in there and see what I'm doing without having any discomfort."

"Thank you," Ruby nodded and gagged again. "That would be nice." She ran into the observation room and shut the door behind her. Granted, from the angle she was at, she didn't have a good view of the body, but she had an _excellent_ view of Victor's butt, and she considered that okay compensation.

Sometime later, after he'd cleaned up and locked the body away, Victor joined Ruby in the observation room. "So, what's the verdict?" Ruby asked. "Was it hard to figure out cause the body was in pieces?"

"It actually wasn't," Victor replied. "Just a quick look at his hyoid told me he was strangled."

Ruby shuddered. "Strangled and dismembered. My god, that poor man." She paused. "Although his eye sort of creeps me out." Victor opened his hand, which had been balled into a fist, and she let out a shriek. "Oh, my god!" She cried. "You have it! What are you doing with the guy's _eye_?"

"It's a fake one," Victor replied. "I think I might keep it. Can you imagine the mischief I could pull off?"

"It won't endear you to Granny any if you do that," Ruby replied, trying to look away from the eye. But it was oddly hypnotic, even just sitting there in Victor's palm. "Seeing that eye, I can sort of sympathize with Edgar. It would have driven me nuts too." She paused. "Not that that's an excuse to murder anyone, of course."

"Now we have to put the body somewhere," Victor said. "I assume your grandmother wouldn't want him buried behind the diner or the inn?"

Ruby shook her head. "Not if there are other options."

"All right," Victor nodded. "I'll keep thinking, then."

A few seconds later, Ruby's phone rang. "What's going on?" She asked, putting it to her ear. Her eyes widened and she quickly ended the call.

"What's the matter?" Victor asked.

"It's Edgar," Ruby replied. "He got back to the inn after his appointment, attacked Geppetto, and hurt him pretty bad."

"Well, damn," Victor replied. Leaving the old man's body in the freezer, they sped over to the inn, went inside, and found several people, including David and Emma, standing around. "Glad you two are here," David said, approaching them. "Granny's told us you know the man who attacked Geppetto. Do you?"

"Yes, we do," Victor replied. "And we were hoping to handle him quietly, Sheriff. You being involved only makes things worse."

"I know it looks bad, him attacking Geppetto," Ruby added. "But having all these people here isn't gonna help!" She watched, distressed, as Edgar was cuffed and led to the police car. "We'll take him to the hospital," David assured her. "It's better for him there than in jail."

"If that's all that can be done," Ruby replied. "I suppose you know best." She paused. "But can either Victor or I ride to the hospital with him? He'll be less frightened that way."

"Well, all right," Emma replied. "But only one of you."

"You go," Ruby told Victor. "He knows you better." Victor nodded and walked out to the police car, while Ruby looked on sadly as she watched Geppetto be rolled out on a stretcher.

"I'm sorry," she apologized to him. "I'm really very sorry."

"It-it wasn't your fault," Geppetto got out. "I'll be all right." He'd been hit on the head, and there were finger marks around his neck. Apparently, Edgar had tried to strangle him, too. When he was gone, Ruby headed up to the room Edgar had occupied and started cleaning it up, glad that Edgar was being taken to a place where he wouldn't hurt himself or anyone else, cause that's what was best. There was no other way around it.

* * *

"What do you want from me?" Regina asked David later. "Depending on what it is, I may or may not help you."

"You heard what happened to Geppetto at the inn, didn't you?" Emma asked. "He was nearly killed."

"Well, that's terrible," Regina replied. "But what's it got to do with me?"

"The man who tried to kill him is in the psych ward at the hospital and he's very unstable," David said. "We need someone to watch him."

Regina chuckled. "And the person you have in mind is _me_? I have better things to do tonight than babysit a lunatic. Unless your reasoning for this is because you want to see me end up injured like Geppetto, or dead."

"Of course we don't want that," Emma replied.

"Even if you've done things to deserve it," David added.

"But we just thought that you could use your magic to come up with some inconspicuous way to watch him and make sure he doesn't hurt himself or anyone else. If an actual person tried to get in there, they would be hurt, so we have to find another way." Emma finished.

"Fine," Regina replied. "I'll do it. But if my life is ever in danger, I'm done."

"All right," Emma replied. "That's fair. He's in room 6b. Thanks for your help."

"You're welcome," Regina replied.

* * *

It was an incredibly fortunate room placement, with a window on the side of the hospital, so it would be easy to get into his room. Later that night, she transformed herself into a raven and got through the man's open window, thinking how stupid that was, cause anyone could just get in. And since it was storming, Regina was grateful to get inside quickly.

The man was sitting on the floor of his room, staring intently at a large tome he held. Naturally, there wasn't much in the room other than basic furniture, except for a picture of a young woman with long blond hair pinned up, which sat in a prominent spot on the night table. And it was next to it where Regina landed. When she let out a squawk, the man put the book down and faced her.

"Who are you?" He asked, staring. "Why have you come here?" His voice was oddly calm and he looked as if he'd been given something to calm him down. Regina squawked again, and the odd man took that for an answer. "Never?" He cried. "What sort of a ridiculous answer is that?" Regina stepped back, knocking the photo off the night table, which made the man crawl forward and pick it up. "Lenore," he said, stroking it. "Lenore!" Then he looked up at Regina again. "This is my love," he said. "This is Lenore. Now that the old man is dead, I can be with her."

Regina squawked again, which seemed to enrage the man. "Never!" He cried. "You say 'Never' again? Are you telling me that I should forget my love? That she belongs in the past?" Regina squawked. This last bit of squawking sent the man over the edge and he grabbed a knife, which he'd managed to hide under his pillow, and began slashing at Regina, who managed to get away, only losing a few feathers from her tail. As soon as the bird was gone, Edgar took the knife and stabbed himself in the throat, and as his blood flowed from his body, he whispered, "Lenore..."

As everyone gathered around the hospital once, David snapped at Regina, who had regained her usual form. "You were supposed to be watching him."

"He pulled a knife on me. I was fearing for my life!" Regina replied.

"So you won't ever do this again?" Emma asked as Ruby helped Victor bring out Edgar's body.

"No," Regina shook her head. "Nevermore."


End file.
